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Shannon Brown

Science writer and editor

My Background

As a writer, I am passionate about making complex topics easy to understand. I specialize in health + medicine and the environment, but I've written about many different areas of science.

Currently, I do contract writing work with two different branches of the National Institutes of Health--the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke. 

In the past, I've worked as a journalist covering regulatory affairs of pharmaceutical manufacturing for the business intelligence publication Pink Sheet. I've also freelanced for outlets such as Mongabay, HealthDay News, and Elsevier's PracticeUpdate.

In 2020, I earned an MA in Science Writing from Johns Hopkins University.

Professional Interests

Growing up in Hawai'i spurred my interest in the environment, as well as health and medicine, and the intersection of those two fields. However, I'm an innately curious person, and I manage to find stories to write about in nearly any subject.

I'm an avid traveler and amateur photographer, and I'm interested in mental health and personal development. I earned my undergraduate degree in Psychology and I've also earned a 200 hour yoga teaching certification.

Lastly, I sell art prints and original paintings through my small business, Evening Glow Fine Art. 

Get in Touch

Click on the "Contact" button above to send me a message, or on the corner icons to connect on social media.

My Articles

National Cancer Institute •

Condition of patients’ immune cells can affect how they respond to immunotherapy | Center for Cancer Research

New research has shed light on why a specialized form of cancer therapy that targets the immune system, called CD22 CAR T-cells, works in some patients but not others. The study, led by Nirali N. Shah, M.D., Lasker Clinical Research Scholar in the Pediatric Oncology Branch, was published March 13, 2025, in Molecular Therapy. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a treatment in which T cells, a type of immune response cell, are harvested from patients and genetically modified in a lab...
National Cancer Institute •

Celebrating CCR Careers: Alan Rein, Ph.D. | Center for Cancer Research

Alan Rein, Ph.D., has been at the NCI for almost five decades researching viral assembly, particularly in human and murine (mouse) retroviruses. A known expert in the field, he studies molecular mechanisms of retroviral replication and pathogenesis, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Now, the senior investigator in the HIV Dynamics and Replication Program and the head of the Retrovirus Assembly Section has announced his retirement.
Mongabay Environmental News •

In Hawai’i, researchers work to slow the rapid death of a beloved tree

Hawaiian myth says that ‘ōhi‘a lehua trees were created by Pele, the goddess of fire and creator of the Hawaiian islands. Spurned by a handsome young warrior, ʻŌhiʻa, she turned him into a twisted tree; the other gods, out of pity, turned his heartbroken lover, Lehua, into a flower, so that they would be joined together forever.

Today, ‘ōhi‘a lehua trees are suffering for a different reason: a fungal disease called rapid ʻōhiʻa death (ROD) is spreading swiftly through Hawaiian forests and killi...
Mongabay Environmental News •

Reviving an ancient way of aquaculture at Hawaii’s Heʻeia fishpond

OAHU, Hawaii — Tucked at the base of the Ko’olau Mountains on the eastern side of the Hawaiian island of Oahu lies He’eia fishpond. Built around 800 years ago by indigenous Hawaiians, it was a thriving aquaculture site for hundreds of years, before falling into disrepair after a flood damaged its wall in 1965. Fishponds had been declining even before then; culture and land use patterns started to change with the arrival of Captain James Cook in 1778.

Ancient Hawaiians originally built almost 50...
Two Million Blossoms •

Hawaii’s Endangered Bees

As sea levels rise, Hawaii may face various consequences: shorelines may erode, coastal roads may be washed out. But an unexpected casualty of rising seas may be several species of native bees.

Hylaeus, or yellow-faced bees, can be found worldwide. However, they were the only bee that managed to travel to the Hawaiian islands, likely arriving from Japan or East Asia between 400,000 to 700,000 years ago. Since their arrival, over 60 known species have evolved that are endemic to Hawaii, meaning they aren’t found anywhere else in the world. Seven were declared endangered in 2016; and of these, three species (Hylaeus anthracinus, Hylaeus longiceps, and Hylaeus hilaris) make their nests in porous coral and plants found along Hawaii’s coasts.